Guides
Guides for tanning salon owners
Federal rules, tax, paperwork and running the business, written for owners and front-desk managers. Every guide lists its sources and the date it was last checked. General information, not legal advice.
- FDA tanning bed regulations: what 21 CFR 1040.20 requires, and of whomFDA tanning bed regulations (21 CFR 1040.20) are aimed at manufacturers, not salons. What labels, timers and lamps must meet, and what falls to you.
- FDA withdrew its proposed under-18 tanning rule: what changes for salons, and what doesn'tFDA withdrew its proposed under-18 tanning ban on March 16, 2026. There is still no federal age limit; state law decides. What salons do at the desk.
- How to read a tanning bed exposure schedule and maximum exposure timeHow to read a tanning bed exposure schedule: what 21 CFR 1040.20 puts on the label, how skin type sets session times, and why the maximum is not a target.
- Fitzpatrick skin types at the front desk: what they are and what the law asksThe Fitzpatrick skin type scale explained for tanning salons: the six types, where the scale came from, and which states require it in client records.
- The 24-hour tanning rule: what is federal, what is state law and what is mythThe 24-hour tanning rule is a state rule, not an FDA one. See which states require 24 or 48 hours between sessions and how to enforce it at the desk.
- Do you need a license to open a tanning salon? State permits, registration and operator trainingDo you need a license to open a tanning salon? It depends on your state. What 9 states require for permits, per-location rules and operator training.
- Tanning salon inspection checklist: what inspectors commonly checkA tanning salon inspection checklist from Florida, Rhode Island and Illinois rules and the federal sunlamp standard: paperwork, rooms, records and fines.
- Tanning bed eye protection rules: who must provide goggles, and what the label saysAre tanning goggles required by law? What the federal rule says, which states make salons supply free, sanitized eyewear, and what to do at the desk.
- Tanning bed lamp replacement: equivalency, lamp hours and the records to keepHow often to change tanning bed bulbs, what FDA's 10% lamp equivalency policy means, and the lamp records Florida, Rhode Island and Illinois require.
- Tanning bed timer rules: maximum settings, accuracy and who sets the timerTanning bed timer rules: no timer may run past the unit's labeled maximum, every setting must be within 10%, and states decide who sets the time.
- Tanning consent form and warning statement: what it has to say, who signs, and how oftenTanning consent form rules: the warnings it must carry, when clients re-sign and when a parent can sign for a minor, from six states' own laws.
- Tanning salon recordkeeping: what to record for each session and how long to keep itTanning salon record keeping requirements: what to record for each visit, how long Texas, Florida, Rhode Island and Illinois require, and the IRS rule.
- The 10% federal tanning tax: who pays, what is exempt, and how to file Form 720The federal tanning tax is 10% of what clients pay for UV tanning. Who collects it, what is exempt, and how to file it on Form 720 under IRS No. 140.
- Tanning tax on packages, bundles and gym membershipsHow the 10% tanning tax applies to packages, memberships and bundles with lotion, the ratio for splitting a bundle, and the three gym exemption tests.
- Spray tan DHA safety: what FDA has and has not approved, and what it means for your boothIs spray tanning FDA approved? DHA is listed for external use only, not the eye area, lips or booth misting. What salon owners should do.
- Tanning bed cleaning and sanitation requirements: what state rules ask of salonsTanning bed cleaning requirements: when to sanitize beds and goggles, which sanitizer state rules name, and what six states require of salons.
- Tanning salon advertising: the health and safety claims to leave outCan a tanning salon advertise vitamin D or a base tan? What the FTC and state laws say about tanning health claims, and how to check your ads.
- Text message rules for tanning salons: consent, opt-outs and quiet hoursText message rules for tanning salons in 2026: when a text needs consent, what a written opt-in must say, how fast to honor STOP, and do-not-call limits.
- Tanning memberships and auto-renewal laws: disclosures, consent and cancellationTanning membership cancellation law in 2026: the click-to-cancel rule's status, ROSCA, EFT authorization under Regulation E, and state auto-renewal laws.
- How to price tanning memberships and packages: unlimited, packs, off-peak, upgrades and taxTanning salon membership pricing, worked from your own numbers: pack discounts, unlimited break-even, off-peak, level upgrades and tax-included prices.
- Tanning salon KPIs: the numbers to watch every week and how to calculate themTanning salon KPIs with formulas: bed utilization, revenue per bed, average ticket, retail mix, retention, lapsed-client rate and package burn.
- How to start a tanning salon: licensing, the tanning tax, equipment, records and softwareHow to start a tanning salon: state licensing, the 10% tanning tax and Form 720, bed labels, lamps, records, consent forms, a cost worksheet and software.
- Choosing tanning salon software: the compliance and operations checklistA buyer's checklist for tanning salon software: exposure limits, consent forms, the tanning tax, records, lamp hours, and what TanVision does today.
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